Who goes to sleep?
Both kids and adults with the following:
- Fear & anxiety from needles, noise, smell, taste or the whole procedure
- Claustrophobia
- Gag reflex
- Local anaesthesia (freezing) ineffective
- Past traumatic dental experience
- Complex surgery and/or extensive treatment needs
Sedation options:
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
Mild sedative odourless gas administered through a nasal hood.
It requires cooperation from the patient.
Patients are awake but the nitrous oxide helps to relax them and alleviate pain & anxiety
Patients are able to drive after receiving nitrous oxide.
A light meal is recommended 3 hours before receiving laughing gas.
Oral sedation
Similar to nitrous oxide except:
Patients will need a drive home after the appointment by a responsible adult who is a friend, neighbour, parent, sibling or other family member.
Patients cannot go home alone or in a taxi alone.
Patients will not be to work, operate hazardous machinery or make important decisions for 24 hours following the appointment.
Deep sedation / General anaesthesia
Deepest level of sedation given by a separate certified specialist.
Used commonly for kids, special needs patients and adults where nitrous oxide is not possible or not effective.
Patients are fully monitored and deep sedation/general anaesthesia has an excellent safety record.
For healthy kids and adults, hospital access is difficult and the waiting period can be 2 years or longer.
Fasting is required pre-operatively and an escort is required following the procedure. Patients must then rest and avoid working, driving, operating hazardous machinery or alcohol (and cannabis) for 24 hours following the anaesthetic.